My second guest post on yellowtrace focuses on the most beautiful kindergarten I’ve ever seen – the Educational Centre En El Chaparral in Granada, Spain designed by Alejandro Muñoz Miranda. Colour windows were added to communal spaces like doorways (leaving classrooms with clear glass) so changing weather and seasons could inject the white space with gorgeous coloured light. Can you imagine going to kindergarden somewhere so magical? Check out my whole post and more images on yellowtrace.

(photographs by Fernando Alda via Dezeen)

Every desk can benefit from some fun-shaped neon sticky notes, right? I love these Silly Notes Page Markers by Suck UK. The tiny sticky notes can be used to mark a place or scribble a wee note. I wouldn’t mind creating my to do list on a vibrant spaceship or dinosaur…

(photograph via suck uk)

It may sound random but I have a thing for home art installations involving spools of thread. I have been enamoured with Douglas Coupland’s for quite some time (3rd image) as he made a pure white wall come alive with a tailor shop-inspired installation of industrial thread spools. I also love the old wooden sign full of small thread bundles at the home of Zoe Bissell and Bryan Buryk (top image). Last but not least, the wonderful apartment of architect Chau Truong which features a black wall of thin shelves holding vibrant spools of thread and varying lengths of thread. Truong says, “every time the door opens or closes, the motion causes these thread ends to swing uniformly like leaves in the wind.” Colourful, architectural, artful and very happy-making.

(photographs via new york times, design tripper and new york times)

The first time I watched Breakfast at Tiffany’s, I was blown away by how beautiful, vibrant and timeless the colour palette was. Actually, the entire design of the film, from the half bathtub couch to every impeccable stitch of costume, is fantastic. I love so many of the sets, especially Holly Golighty’s apartment which is kept very neutral so costumes and objects pop to life with colour. Audrey Hepburn is often in black and white or warm hues like hot pink or orange. The other woman, Patricia Neal, is always in green and blue hues (perhaps to denote her icy, cold personality). From the putty shades of apartment interiors to the gritty browns of New York streets, the pops of jewel tones and bright colours make one dazzling palette. I think the big party scene is my favourite part as bold shades and details dance with the neutral setting. After screen-capping like a mad-woman, I can confirm there is no shortage of inspiration in the Breakfast at Tiffany’s colour palette…

(screencaps by plenty of colour)

The first of May is known as Lei Day in Hawaii, a celebration of Hawaiian culture. A day full of music, lei-making competitions, the coronation of a Lei Queen and her court, hula and general merry-making, this year is the 85th anniversary of Lei Day. Hawaii is my adopted second home so I plan on bringing some Lei Day festivities to Vancouver today! One of the best facets of Lei Day is the celebration of the holiday’s namesake – the gorgeous, fragrant and colourful flower garland known as a “lei” worn around one’s neck. Icons of “aloha“, these traditional symbols of Hawaii mean welcome, friendship, respect and love. They are heavenly feats of flower architecture and definite eye candy for a colour lover. From pure white tuberose leis to ornate magenta orchid ones, there is not shortage to the inspiration found in these famous symbols of Hawaiian culture. I love seeing modern interpretations of leis too including injected gold geometric shapes or creating artful half-leis on silk ribbon. After researching photos for this post, I am determined to find more reasons to pop on a colourful lei…

(from top, photographs via style me pretty, bloomers blog, style me pretty, elliot chang, makena g, sweet blossoms hawaii, noel hawkins, tiger_tim_2000, neka pearl, martha stewart weddings and rue magazine)

Creating beautiful works of art doesn’t require expensive supplies. Case in point? Düsseldorf-based artist Sebastian Wickeroth diligently layers line upon line of regular old felt-tip marker to create his wonderfully abstract works of colour and angle. Never underestimate the possibilities just sitting in your pencil bin…

(spotted on but does it float, images via sebastian wickeroth )

Back in February, I posted about The Colour Run and was rather sad to see it wasn’t coming to my hometown of Vancouver. A powder throwing party à la Holi and overall colour-loving celebration? Yes please! I then heard about Color Me Rad, a similar event promising “5km of colour bombardment” and a “royal rumble of colour” as the grand finale (all with a portion of the proceeds going to a local charity). Thankfully, Vancouver is in the tour dates and I can’t wait to participate. Upon registration, you are given the option to buy additional non-toxic colour powder packs and I, um, may have purchased quite a few. Whether The Color Run or Color Me Rad, I hope one of these Holi-like events is heading to your hometown (fingers crossed for expansion outside North America too). If you are in Vancouver, I will see you there! What a joyful way to spend a day with fellow colour lovers…

(photographs/screen caps via color me rad)

Melbourne-based designer Emily Green creates vibrant necklaces featuring lovely hand-formed beads. Come to think of it, she really creates wearable colour palettes full of whimsy and joy. I love visiting Emily’s online shops to spy the newest colour combinations (love those new wintery combinations on leather cord). I am also a big fan of how she styles her pieces on patterns like graphic black and white and bright watercolours. I’m thinking wearing one of Emily’s colour palettes around your neck could only make a day happier…

(photographs by emily green via her online shops here and here)

Serbian designer Ana Kraš debuted her BonBon Lamps in 2010 and has now updated the handsome devils for 2012. Wire framed lampshades looped manually with cotton thread, the lamps are colourblocked in intriguing palettes and crafted in whimsical shapes. What beautiful, hue-filled glow is created as the light shines through the strings. A modern lantern perhaps? I would love to have a row of BonBon Lamps hanging in an industrial space just as they do in the second photo from the top. Sigh…

(photographs via ana kras except second image from remodelista)

Dreaming of designing retail spaces is often on my mind and my Pinterest boards probably showcase that (obsessive) mindframe. This week, for my bi-monthly post on Rena Tom’s website, I thought I would round-up a few retail images that have caught my eye lately. Signage with metallic details, a neon paper airplane launch invite or a pet shop entrance just for dogs – retail details are never short on inspiration. To have your fill of retail and design eye candy, read the post here. Back to shop owning day daydreams…

(this is collate, here design, tokketok, interior design, design work life, the design files and elana schlenker)

Cutting up an old fabric Pantone guide for a project the other day, I realized that my palette of the week feature has been, um, rather slow to get started. No more! Each week, I plan to feature a different number of colours (perhaps a hue duo or a group of twelve) and keep the subject loose and always changing (found objects, a discovered photo or a street capture). Where there is an inspiring palette to be found, I hope to feature it here. This week is a foursome I started to love when chopping up my Pantone guide. Teal, turquoise, coral & chartreuse – all fresh Caribbean hues that make me dream of tropical travel…

(photograph by chloé douglas / plenty of colour)

Some refreshing and colourful branding for LUX* Island Resorts by London studio & Smith. The identity reflects “a lively, spontaneous brand seeking to avoid the predictable patterns associated with luxury travel”. I love the thick, modern typography and tropical-feeling colour palette. How great is that launch invitation featuring a roll of tickets for various facets of the resort? And a great publication design for “50 Reasons To Go” with thready ribbons. Oh and believe me, if I ever get to a LUX* 5-star resort, I will be grabbing every single one of those beautiful room toiletries. Yep, I want to head to the tropics right this second…

(photographs via & smith, spotted on designworklife)

My love affair with how simple, colourful elements of everyday life can come together in extraordinary ways continues to grow. Crafted out of plastic clothespins arranged in rows, Peg Carpet was created by Dutch art collective We Make Carpets and is a feat of layering and precision. I love the bold patterns of these modern tapestries and the beautiful gradients of colour achieved through carefully placed clothespins hues. There really is magic brewing in the laundry room…

(photographs by boudewijn bollmann via we make carpets)

I think The Queen and I share an affection for bright colours which is why I love this colour chart created by Vogue Magazine. Charting her hue and pattern choices in every outfit worn over the last year, Vogue discovered that Her Majesty’s favourite fashion colour is overwhelmingly blue (worn 29 per cent of the time) with floral patterns, green, cream, pink and purple next in popularity. At the bottom of the list is beige with only a 1 per cent showing wardrobe-wise. With that colour fact in mind, I think the Queen and I could totally hang out. (click on the image to zoom in on the chart)

(image via daily mail)

As someone who could spend several hours at a newsstand, I love visiting CoverJunkie where fantastic magazine covers and their creators are celebrated. Three that have caught my eye this month include the Suddeutsche Zeitung Magazin ”Rama dama, design issue” and its explosion of colourful smoke (please tell me there is a behind-the-scenes film of this cover shoot?) as well as a clever, elegant Olympic issue by Sport magazine and a layered FUKT magazine of contemporary drawing. Both digitally and in print, long live the magazine!

(images via coverjunkie)

Pop-up shops, also called temporary stores or flash retail, have grown in popularity and awareness over the last few years. The definition is just as it sounds – a shop that appears suddenly and disappears with similar drama after a relatively short amount of time. Often there is a special collection or limited edition item element as well. Whether in a rented space, a splashy freestanding structure, only online or curated by tastemaking blogs, there are no limits to the innovative ideas flash retail can create. I particularly love that creativity is almost always a vital characteristic of pop-up shops. From big installations (check out that gorgeous net of cardboard boxes above) to bold storefronts to sleek branding, temporary stores seem to form a sublime marriage of retail and creativity. If you interested, I wrote an image-filled article for Rena Tom’s site on pop-up shops which you can read here. Back to dreaming about opening a shop that pops…

(photographs via the fancy, dezeen, hannah dollery creative, decor8, dezeen, we heart and web urbanist)